Curcuma longa · PhytoNexus

01 Identity and provenance

Accepted binomial: Curcuma longa
Common names: Turmeric
Family (APG IV): Zingiberaceae
Part used: Rhizome
Verification tier: Tier 2 · Verified Clinical columns reviewed and a source is on record.
Reviewer note (2026 audit): CORRECTED - Active chemical moiety: "Phenolic 0-Methoxy" describes a substituent, not the marker compound.
Reference not supplied - claim unverified against primary literature.

02 Constituent chemistry

Chemical class	Marker compound	Synthetic analogue in use
Curcuminoids	Curcumin (also demethoxycurcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin) Rhizome	Diclofenac , N- Acetyl cysteine

The analogue column is what makes the interaction reasoning tractable: where a constituent has a marketed structural counterpart, the counterpart's interaction profile is the starting hypothesis for the plant.

Looking up structures and physicochemical properties from PubChem…

03 Stated application

Reported activity: Neuroprotective, wound healing , antimicrobial, antiinflammatory
Marketed in: Cream: Vicco, Churna: Dabur,
patanjali
Reported adverse effects: Heartburn, Kidney stone
risk

04 Interaction matrix

Source column, verbatim: Anticoagulant, antidiabetic, antihypertensive NSAID
Normalised onto 4 canonical drug classes below.

Curated from the reviewed source

Drug class	Severity	Mechanism type	Provenance	Expected effect
Anticoagulants (vitamin-K antagonists, DOACs) Haemostasis	3Major	PD-additive + PK-CYP2C9	curated B	INR destabilisation in either direction; ecchymosis, epistaxis, gum bleed…	why ▾
Chemistry of this pair. Curcuminoids inhibit platelet aggregation, CYP3A4, CYP2C9 and P-glycoprotein, and are potent iron chelators. Class mechanism. Coumarin-, salicylate- and coumestan-bearing botanicals add to vitamin-K-antagonist effect; several also compete for CYP2C9 and CYP3A4, raising S-warfarin exposure. Botanicals rich in vitamin K1 act in the opposite direction and blunt anticoagulation. Expected INR destabilisation in either direction; ecchymosis, epistaxis, gum bleeding, GI or intracranial haemorrhage. Management Do not start or stop the botanical without INR cover. Check INR at 3-5 days and again at 2 weeks. Document the product, batch and dose in the anticoagulation record. Onset rapid Evidence B - reviewed clinical column, source pending Matched on “anticoagulant” Find evidence for this pair Map this mechanism
Antidiabetic drugs (insulin, sulfonylureas, biguanides, GLP-1, SGLT2) Endocrine	3Major	PD-additive	curated B	Symptomatic hypoglycaemia, sweating, tremor, confusion; severe events rep…	why ▾
Class mechanism. Hypoglycaemic botanicals act through insulin secretagogue, insulin-sensitising, alpha-glucosidase-inhibiting or glucose-transport routes. Added to a titrated pharmacological regimen the effects summate rather than plateau. Expected Symptomatic hypoglycaemia, sweating, tremor, confusion; severe events reported with insulin and sulfonylureas. Management Increase self-monitoring frequency for 2 weeks after starting or stopping. Anticipate a downward dose adjustment of insulin or sulfonylurea. Onset rapid Evidence B - reviewed clinical column, source pending Matched on “antidiabetic” Find evidence for this pair Map this mechanism
NSAIDs Analgesia	3Major	PD-additive	curated B	Peptic ulceration, upper GI bleeding, acute kidney injury in volume-deple…	why ▾
Class mechanism. Salicylate-, coumarin- and eugenol-bearing botanicals add both antiplatelet activity and direct gastric mucosal irritation to cyclo-oxygenase inhibition; several also reduce renal prostaglandin-dependent perfusion. Expected Peptic ulceration, upper GI bleeding, acute kidney injury in volume-depleted patients. Management Avoid in ulcer history. Add gastroprotection where the combination is unavoidable, and monitor renal function in the elderly. Onset rapid Evidence B - reviewed clinical column, source pending Matched on “nsaid” Find evidence for this pair Map this mechanism
Antihypertensives Cardiovascular	2Moderate	PD-additive	curated B	Orthostatic hypotension, dizziness, syncope and falls; or loss of blood-p…	why ▾
Class mechanism. Vasodilator, diuretic, ACE-inhibitory and calcium-antagonist activity in botanical extracts adds to prescribed blood-pressure lowering. A minority (ephedrine-, glycyrrhizin- and caffeine-bearing) act in the opposite direction and antagonise control. Expected Orthostatic hypotension, dizziness, syncope and falls; or loss of blood-pressure control with pressor botanicals. Management Home BP log for 2 weeks after any change. Warn about postural symptoms; review in the elderly and in those on multiple agents. Onset rapid Evidence B - reviewed clinical column, source pending Matched on “antihypertensive” Find evidence for this pair Map this mechanism

Predicted from constituent chemistry

These edges are not clinical findings. Each one is a rule inference: a constituent class in this plant is known to act on a target that the drug class also acts on. They are shown because a blank cell reads as “safe”, and for a Tier 1 entry a blank cell only means “not yet looked at”. Treat them as a literature-search agenda, not as a warning.

Drug class	Severity	Mechanism type	Provenance	Expected effect
Narrow-therapeutic-index CYP3A4 substrates Pharmacokinetic	4Contraindicated	PK-CYP3A4	predicted D	Toxic accumulation or subtherapeutic failure of the co-prescribed drug, s…	why ▾
Chemistry of this pair. Curcuminoids inhibit platelet aggregation, CYP3A4, CYP2C9 and P-glycoprotein, and are potent iron chelators. Class mechanism. Furanocoumarins, bergamottin, piperine, glabridin and berberine inhibit CYP3A4; hyperforin, andrographolide and several diterpenes induce it through PXR. Because CYP3A4 handles roughly half of marketed drugs, the affected list is broad and the direction is product-specific. Expected Toxic accumulation or subtherapeutic failure of the co-prescribed drug, sometimes fatal for antiarrhythmics, immunosuppressants and oncology agents. Management Screen the full regimen for 3A4 substrates. Where the substrate has a narrow index, avoid rather than monitor. Onset unspecified Evidence D - in silico rule prediction only Find evidence for this pair Map this mechanism
Antiplatelet agents Haemostasis	3Major	PD-additive	predicted D	Prolonged bleeding time, surgical and post-procedural bleeding, bruising,…	why ▾
Chemistry of this pair. Curcuminoids inhibit platelet aggregation, CYP3A4, CYP2C9 and P-glycoprotein, and are potent iron chelators. Class mechanism. Organosulfur compounds, gingerols, salicylates, ginkgolides and eugenol inhibit thromboxane A2 synthesis, platelet aggregation and PAF-mediated activation, duplicating the pharmacology of aspirin and P2Y12 blockers. Expected Prolonged bleeding time, surgical and post-procedural bleeding, bruising, haematuria. Management Stop the botanical 7-14 days before elective surgery or neuraxial anaesthesia. Record it on the pre-operative medicines list. Onset rapid Evidence D - in silico rule prediction only Find evidence for this pair Map this mechanism
Iron, calcium and mineral supplements Nutrition	3Major	PK-chelation	predicted D	Failure of iron-deficiency correction, unexplained non-response to oral i…	why ▾
Chemistry of this pair. Curcuminoids inhibit platelet aggregation, CYP3A4, CYP2C9 and P-glycoprotein, and are potent iron chelators. Class mechanism. Tannins, phytates, oxalates and mucilage form insoluble complexes with divalent and trivalent cations in the gut lumen, reducing absorption of both the mineral and any co-administered chelating drug. Expected Failure of iron-deficiency correction, unexplained non-response to oral iron or calcium. Management Separate mineral doses from tannin- and fibre-rich botanicals by at least 2 hours; take iron with ascorbate instead. Onset unspecified Evidence D - in silico rule prediction only Find evidence for this pair Map this mechanism

05 Hazard register

The audit recorded no hazard beyond the interaction profile. The controlled-vocabulary field reads not assessed, which means the assessment has not been done rather than that it came back clear.

06 Confusable material

These entries could be mistaken for this one in trade, in the herbarium, or in a prescription. Powdered material is often indistinguishable, so the check is macroscopic, microscopic and chromatographic rather than nominal.

Curcuma zedoaria

Kachur

Zingiberaceae

Same genus (Curcuma)

07 Mechanism map

Chemistry sorts to the left, pharmacology to the right. Dashed edges are predicted. Drag nodes, scroll to zoom, export at 3× for a figure.

species

chemical class

marker compound

drug class

expected effect

hazard

08 Open literature

Abstract-scoped query built from this binomial, its common names and its marker compounds, run live against Europe PMC, PubMed and OpenAlex, then ranked locally against an evidence hierarchy.

Checking openFDA spontaneous reports…

09 Isomechanistic neighbours

Species whose interaction profile overlaps this one, ranked by shared severity weight rather than by count — a shared contraindication counts for more than a shared minor signal. Practical use: these are the plants you should not stack with this one, because the mechanisms summate.

Species	Family	Shared classes	Jaccard
Ocimum tenuiflorum Tulsi	Lamiaceae	6	0.67
Cyperus rotundus Nagarmotha	Cyperaceae	6	0.60
Camellia sinensis Green Tea	Theaceae	6	0.50
Phyllanthus amarus Bhui Amla	Phyllanthaceae	6	0.46
Zingiber officinale Ginger	Zingiberaceae	5	0.56
Vaccinium macrocarpon Cranberry	Ericaceae	5	0.56

10 References and notes

No citation is on record for this entry. That is itself the finding: the audit flagged it, and it is why the entry does not carry an A evidence grade.

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